Man arrested in connection with City Hall guard assault

Police have arrested a 65-year-old man in connection with last week’s assault of a City Hall security officer.

According to the Metropolitan Police “a group of around 20 protestors forced their way” into the building during Mayor’s Question Time on Wednesday morning.

Once inside the group attempted to enter the public gallery which overlooks the chamber in which the meeting was taking place but were prevented by security staff and police officers. During the scuffle a guard was knocked to the floor and later taken by ambulance to hospital where he was treated for concussion.

On Tuesday officers from the Met arrested the 65-year-old man in Essex on suspicion of assault and took him to an east London police station where he remains in custody.

A 46-year-old-man who voluntarily attended a police station today has also been interviewed under caution in connection with the same incident.

Officers still want to speak to four other men and are asking anyone with information to contact the Met’s Public Order Crime Unit on 0208 246 0076 or, if they wish to remain anonymous, to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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Detective Chief Inspector Andy Barnes said: “I am asking the taxi driver community to reject and stand up against this behaviour, which undermines the hard-working and law-abiding majority who wish to see protest remain peaceful.

“A small minority used force to enter City Hall, resulting in a security guard who was simply doing his job being knocked unconscious. What happened here was completely unacceptable.

“These individuals must not be allowed to commit further acts of violence and the Met will respond robustly where it needs to. I would like the public’s help to identify the people shown in these images that we have released today.”